Policy

A snapshot of New Zealand's international education sector from January to April of this year shows overall enrolments declined by 3% due to a significant 10% drop in private training establishment (PTE) numbers. The high value of the New Zealand dollar, increased investment in domestic education in key source markets and competition from top English speaking destinations continue to afflict the industry.

Education providers in Canada have been forced to extend start dates and even defer admissions until January as foreign service strikes stretch into their fourth month and continue to disrupt student visa processing. In addition to student welfare, universities and secondary schools are concerned delays could affect them financially and push students to competing destinations.

Malaysia's controversial government-backed Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) has announced a streamlined visa processing system for foreign students applying to foreign branch campuses and private institutions. The move comes after severe growing pains since EMGS was launched as a one-stop centre for foreign student visa processing in February.

A Russian government programme allotted a budget of 1.5 billion rubles (US$45 million) to pay for 3,000 postgraduates to study abroad appears to have been put on hold due to doubts that students will return to Russia upon completing their degrees. Announced in 2010 by Dmitry Medvedev, and backed the following year by president Vladimir Putin as a way to raise the standards of Russia's workforce.

As Australia positions itself to increase student mobility in the Asian century, a study has found that short-term study options, as opposed to semester-long, are important to encourage uptake of Asian study opportunities. An AUIDF report also reveals the USA is top of the list for outbound study.

The English language travel industry in South Africa saw growth in both student numbers and weeks from 2011 to 2012 and providers are bullish about 2013 after a solid first half of the year according to the national association of English language centres, EduSA. Improved numbers are driven by renewal in interest from traditional European markets and a boom from neighbouring African countries.

Wellington-based Victoria University and Canterbury’s Lincoln University have signed MoU’s with the government in Papua New Guinea as the country continues to develop educational collaborations with markets in the promising Pacific region.

Making good on the claim that Colombians speak "the best" Spanish in the world, the government has launched a campaign to double Spanish language learners in the country by 2014 and become the leading Spanish language destination in Latin America. The initiative is part of president Juan Manuel Santos's Government Plan for Democratic Prosperity.

The newly appointed Finnish Minister of Education and Science, Krista Kiuru, is in Asia this week to promote education as an export for the first time. The government is making bold moves to explore ways to turn the country's top-notch education model into a profitable business. A working group reports back in October.

The Japanese government has launched a programme that will support young people to travel abroad to undertake internships, volunteering, working holidays or overseas language training. Implemented by JAOS, Global ACE aims to boost the employability and vocational skills of under-35s.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s landslide victory in last month’s general election confirmed that plans to internationalise the country’s higher education system will go forward. Around £284 million (￥43.2 billion) has been allocated toward initiatives to increase inbound and outbound mobility, improve universities’ ranking status and boost academic collaborations.

Twenty nine Azerbaijani students have been awarded scholarships to study in Europe and North America in the latest round of scholarships through the government-backed State Programme on Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad which aims to fill skills gaps in the country, encouraging students to study engineering, computer science, law and public health.

Australia is the most expensive country in which to study abroad, according to a study by HSBC Bank which has ranked 13 countries. This news comes as a joint statement by Australia's peak bodies was released urging for greater government support to stop students turning instead to Canada, New Zealand, the UK and USA.

A review released by the Australian government calls for significant reduction in "red tape" for universities under the Tertiary Education Standards and Quality Agency (TEQSA), established just two years ago as the country's HE regulator. The sector has welcomed calls for more cohesion between regulatory bodies and lighter touch rules for those proving compliance.

An International Post-Graduates (IPG) pilot visa scheme is to become a permanent category of British Columbia's Provincial Nominee Program, it was announced this month. The project aims to attract and retain highly skilled international postgraduates in the science and technology fields by enabling them to apply for permanent residence in Canada.